Week 11 Sunday Recap: Go Bravehearts (?)

Well, we have entered that time of football season when my husband starts muttering to himself for extended periods of time. He is halfway talking to himself, halfway talking to the little men in the TV. If he does turn around to talk to me it is to get me to cheer for one of his fantasy players, or beg me to go pick up lunch. All of this can only mean one thing….Fantasy Football playoffs are getting closer. To a lay person, this Sunday seemed pretty quiet with the most exciting stories being about the weather in Chicago and a referee cussing out a Washington Redskins player. But as we all know, even bad football is better than no football, so here are some of the games that will have the boys buzzing on Monday morning.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Redskins (16-24)

“Impress Him” Fact: The Philadelphia Eagles had not won a game at home in 413 days. That is since September 30, 2012. Needless to say, they needed this win for emotional reasons as well as for playoff implications. With this win, the Eagles are now 6 and 5 and are first in the NFC East ahead of the Dallas Cowboys. After throwing for 10 touchdowns in his last 2 games, Eagles’ QB, Nick Foles, didn’t throw any touchdowns against the Redskins but he did throw for 298 yards, rushed for a touchdown and has 199 consecutive throws without an interception. Not too shabby for a guy who started the season as the back-up to Michael Vick. As for the Redskins, after being down 24-0, they tried to make a comeback in the second half. Only to fall short. I guess the refs weren’t very impressed with them either because apparently one of them cussed out Offensive Tackle, Trent Williams, calling him a “garbage-ass, disrespectful motherf—–.” Isn’t that kind of like a teacher cussing out a student? Aside: There is a lot of talk about changing the name of the Redskins because it is offensive to Native Americans. It is rumored that Redskins’ owner has trademarked the name Washington Bravehearts. Can you imagine rooting for the Mel Gibsons in a football game? What would their uniforms look like?

I guess they kind of look like football fans… (Photo Credit: http://academyhistory-oscarblogger.blogspot.com)

New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers (13-27)

Looks like little Eli Manning has finally found his football legs. After starting the season 0 and 6 the New York Giants have won 4 in a row and have a legitimate chance at making the playoffs. Those Mannings sure are made of football magic aren’t they? The latest win came against the Green Bay Packers who are operating without the heart of their team, QB Aaron Rodgers, who is out with a broken collarbone.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Chicago Bears (20-23)

The Ravens and the Bears kicked off at 1:00 EST about 30 minutes later players and fans were told to take cover because of severe weather in the area. At least one tornado touched down in Illinois and lighting struck near Soldier Field. Finally about 2 hours later the game resumed. The sun was out but the field was a muddy mess. Aside: Does anyone else picture little old ladies doing laundry for all of these big football players and shaking their head at the messy clothes that come off the field? No? Just me? End of Aside. The Ravens managed a decent ground game with Ray Rice rushing for 131 yards, but Joe Flacco struggled with the pass game. Jay Cutler continued to fake injuries…I mean sit out with injuries. This week it was a high ankle sprain that kept him out of the rain leaving the Bears’ QB job to Josh McCown who looked pretty good with 216 yards and a touchdown and also led the Bears down the field to give the Bears their overtime win.

Seattle Seahawks vs. Minnesota Vikings (41-20)

The Seattle Seahawks acquired wide receiver, Percy Harvin in the off-season from the Minnesota Vikings during the offseason in a trade that involved the Seahawks giving up their 1st and 7th round picks in the 2013 Draft and their 3rd round pick in the 2014 Draft and then signing Harvin to a 5-year $67 Million deal. So imagine their dismay when he underwent major hip surgery in the offseason and the exact timing of his return uncertain. Well come back he did and what better game to make your first NFL debut since November 2012 than against your old team, the Minnesota Vikings. And boy did he prove he was worth the wait (and the money and draft picks). Harvin had a 58 yard kickoff return and another 17 yard catch to keep a scoring drive going in the second quarter. But Harvin wasnt the only story in the Seahawks routing of the Vikings. Quarterback, Russell Wilson, threw for 230 yards and 2 touchdowns while Marshawn Lynch had 2 rushing touchdowns and 1 receiving touchdown.

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos (17-27)

This was the game that everyone had been waiting all day for…the last undefeated team in the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs, headed to Denver to take on a possibly hurt Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. Well, Peyton Manning’s ankle looked just fine wrapped up in about 6 inches worth of tape. While the Chiefs didn’t look bad, they were not able to lay a hand on Peyton Manning all night. In fact, Peyton even had a tackle of his own when he fumbled a hand off to Montee Ball. He managed to get a shoulder onto Derrick Johnson and stopped a possible touchdown run. On the very next play, Anthony Sherman of the Chiefs fumbled the ball right back to Denver. Adding to the drama of the game? Tiger Woods and Lindsay Vonn were on the Denver sideline. What’s that? No one cares? Yeah me neither. I am still having trouble buying the idea that these two are actually a couple. Next up for the Broncos? The Patriots on Sunday Night Football. Yep, Manning vs. Brady. You better get used to hearing about it now because it is all anyone will be talking about.

That does it for Week 11. Are your husbands talking to themselves too?